Keith Arnold

Notre Dame’s season may have gone down the tube in November, but left tackle Ronnie Stanley’s stock has been sky-rocketing. The third-year junior (Stanley is a sophomore eligibility wise) is finishing up his first season as a left tackle and beginning to garner plenty of looks as a potential first-round draft pick.

Notre Dame got what it wanted. And if you thought Brian Kelly was looking for an easy matchup to become the first Irish head coach to win eight games or more in each of his first five seasons, think again.

Notre Dame will be spending the holidays in Nashville. Sunday afternoon the Irish accepted their first ever bid to the Music City Bowl, where they’ll take on LSU. Les Miles’ football team finished the season 8-4.

Notre Dame sophomore wide receiver Corey Robinson was named a first-team Academic All-American on Thursday. He is only the second Irish sophomore ever to be named first-team Academic All-American and the first sophomore since 2008 to be given the honor in the entire country.

Year one of Notre Dame’s football affiliation with the ACC may not have gone as hoped. (At least the second half of the season.) But a quick look at the Irish’s postseason options reminds us of the importance of Jack Swarbrick’s handy work, as a 7-5 Notre Dame team is still the belle of the ball.

“What you say you are is your philosophy. What we see on film is your identity.”

Noted philosopher Charlie Weis snatched that quote from the great Bill Parcels, introducing it to Notre Dame fans early in his tenure as head coach. It’s a lesson taught often in football, one that can determine the difference between a good football team and a great one. It’s also a lesson that applies to Brian Kelly’s 2014 squad.

Held together by duct tape, twine and every bit of adhesive Brian Kelly could find, Notre Dame’s 2014 season officially exploded Saturday afternoon. The wreckage included a decimated defense incapable of stopping anyone and an offense in the middle of a full-blown identity crisis.

Expectations have been recalibrated. But it doesn’t take a view from 30,000 feet to understand the importance of Notre Dame’s annual battle with USC. Let’s get to a special rivalry edition of the pregame six pack.

With the Irish heading to Southern California to try and finish the regular season with a much-needed eighth victory, seniors Austin Collinsworth, Kyle Brindza, Cam McDaniel and Christian Lombard look back on a football career that’s now ending.

The greatest intersectional rivalry in college football might not have the shine of previous years, but it doesn’t make it any less important. Both Notre Dame and USC will enter the Coliseum desperate for a victory.

A one-armed man. Two guys sentenced to a year in the house. And a parolee. Sounds like the cast list for a new cop drama. But that’s the safety depth chart entering the final Saturday of the regular season.

The hits just keep coming for Notre Dame’s defense. On Tuesday, Brian Kelly confirmed that defensive tackle Jarron Jones would be lost for the season. He also announced that safety Drue Tranquill tore his ACL, ending the freshman safety’s season as well.

The Irish exited Notre Dame Stadium for the last time in 2014. And for the second-straight week they sang the alma mater after a defeat, taking another step backwards from a home-field advantage Brian Kelly and the Irish had quietly built over the past few seasons.

Let’s take a look at the good, bad and ugly of Notre Dame’s 31-28 loss to Louisville.

It appears that Notre Dame’s already youthful defensive line is going to be getting even younger on Saturday. After losing Jarron Jones essentially on the first play of Saturday’s 31-28 loss to Louisville, a Sunday MRI will determine the severity of the injury and whether he can play again this season.

With the questions (understandably) a little bit more filled with frustration than usual, it seems more than a few of you are searching for answers to last week’s loss still. Let’s answer a few mailbag questions before the game.